Bhopal:
BJP on Tuesday retained the Nepanagar assembly seat in Madhya Pradesh with party candidate Manju Dadu defeating her nearest Congress rival Antar Singh Barde by a margin of 42,198 votes.
Manju bagged 99,626 votes while Barde got 57,428 votes, an election official said.
BJP fielded Manju Dadu, daughter of late MLA Rajendra Shyamlal Dadu whose death in an accident necessitated the bypoll.
BJP retained the seat by winning it with a margin of 42,198 votes. Dadu's father had won the election in 2013 by a margin of 46,534 votes.
Besides Congress and BJP, the Republican Party of India (A) (nominee Ms Revanta) and Lok Janshakti Party (Ber Singh) also contested the bypoll. The reserved seat (ST) had recorded 71.25 per cent polling during the byelection held on November 19.
